View source for The system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, pranipatena. And if you think that you know better than Krsna or Krsna's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru

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{{terms|"the system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, praṇipātena. And if you think that you know better than Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru"}}
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{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
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{{first|2022-09-03T10:01:57Z}}
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[[Category:System]]
[[Category:Disciple of a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Fall]]
[[Category:Flat]]
[[Category:Before]]
[[Category:This is the Etiquette]]
[[Category:If You Think That]]
[[Category:Know]]
[[Category:Better Than]]
[[Category:Krsna's Representative Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Guru]]
[[Category:There Is No]]
[[Category:No Necessity of a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Accepting a Guru]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>General Lectures</h3>
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The first thing is Kṛṣṇa instructs in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. If you want to know the substance, then the first thing is that you must be submissive, praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. You fall down. Therefore the system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, praṇipātena. And if you think that you know better than Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru. Do not keep a guru as a pet dog. No. You must be submissive. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). This is wanted. That Kṛṣṇa . . . That is the example given by Arjuna. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). This prapannam is required.
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[[Vanisource:761017 - Lecture and Conversation at Rotary Club - Chandigarh|761017 - Lecture and Conversation at Rotary Club - Chandigarh]]
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Vedānta-sūtra is supposed to be the most authorized summary, cream of all the Vedas. So Kṛṣṇa has said in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaṁ vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]). So if we accept these words of Kṛṣṇa, then we become actually Vedāntī. Without understanding these things as spoken in the . . . Bhagavad-gītā is the summarized Vedānta or Vedic philosophy. Because in this age, Kali-yuga, we are not very advanced. About us, it is described in the śāstra, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā upadrutāḥ, prāyeṇālpayuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.10|SB 1.1.10]]). In this age, Kali-yuga, we are living not very long time. In Kali-yuga, the duration of life will be reduced so much, gradually, that if a person lives for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. That day is coming. Now we have got practical experience. Our grandfather or father lived for so many years, but we are not living for so many years. Our sons will not live so many years. In this way the duration of life, the memory, the mercifulness, the bodily strength—everything will be reduced. This is already foretold in the śāstras. So therefore in this age we are all short-living, mandāḥ, very slow or bad, and sumanda-matayo. Everyone has got a obnoxious opinion about philosophy, about the goal of life. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo, and manda-bhāgyā, unfortunate also. The description, if we try to describe, it will take long time. The short-cut description is there: mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. At the same time, disturbed always. This material world means always disturbed condition, but in this age, Kali-yuga, the disturbance is more and more.

So under the circumstances, it is out of Kṛṣṇa's kindness that making Arjuna as a target of His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, He has given us this valuable instruction. We should accept it as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation. Take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. You'll be benefited. And so far as brahma-jijñāsā, the Kṛṣṇa begins with this aphorism of brahma-jijñāsā. When Arjuna submitted to Arjuna . . . er, Kṛṣṇa that "I am Your now disciple. There is no need of friendly talks. You can give me instruction seriously because I am surrendered to You, and You give me the real instruction," so the first instruction was, as soon as Arjuna submitted . . . Because unless you submit, it is useless to talk, because you'll not hear. Therefore to accept an authority is submission. First thing is, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34 (1972)|BG 4.34]]). Unless you submit, if you think yourself that you are a very big scholar, very learned scholar and very good philosopher—you don't require any instruction from guru—then there is no possibility. The first thing is Kṛṣṇa instructs in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. If you want to know the substance, then the first thing is that you must be submissive, praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. You fall down. Therefore the system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, praṇipātena. And if you think that you know better than Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru. Do not keep a guru as a pet dog. No. You must be submissive. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34 (1972)|BG 4.34]]). This is wanted. That Kṛṣṇa . . . That is the example given by Arjuna. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam ([[Vanisource:BG 2.7 (1972)|BG 2.7]]). This prapannam is required.
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